Monday, August 29, 2016

It is an article of progressive faith that the 1950s were
the worst of times. And that the 1960s were the best of times. Nothing like
losing a war to make progressive hearts go pitter patter.

What was wrong with the 1950s? Any progressive worth his
subscription to the Nation will tell you that America was then racially
segregated.

They will not tell you that the Democratic Party was leading
the fight to keep America segregated. They will not tell you that the civil
rights movement began in the mid-1950s.

They will not tell you about integrating Central High School
in Little Rock.

No, they believe that the 1960s, with their race riots and violent confrontations were a
better time… for whom, it’s not very clear.

But the worst part of the 1950s was: not enough drama. You
see, it doesn’t matter if people are burning down their neighborhoods. It’s the
drama that counts. It’s the struggle that counts. The results… not so much.

Anyway, Kevin Williamson has offered us a riff on
presidential golfers. I can’t say that it has ever crossed my mind to riff on
golf at all, but someone had to do it. So, why not Williamson?

While sharing his thoughts about Barack Obama’s golf game—
and noting that it’s the time of the day and week when Barack does the least
damage—Williamson brings up another decent presidential golfer—one Dwight
Eisenhower.

He notes, in passing, that the
Eisenhower presidency lacked great drama. It was not a time of celebrity presidents or charismatic leaders. The reason was: the man in charge
was competent. Ike knew what he was doing. He knew how to manage a crisis.

Progressives were bored out their mind. They prefer blood on
the streets. They much prefer class struggle.

Williamson explains what did not happen during the
Eisenhower years:

But of
course, Eisenhower could afford to goof around on the golf course all day.
Nothing of any interest or consequence happened during the years of his
presidency, except: The death of Stalin and the Soviets’ acquisition of the
hydrogen bomb, Germany’s ascension to NATO, the fall of Dien Bien Phu,
the end of the Korean War and a near nuclear confrontation with China, the Suez
crisis, the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh, the Congo crisis, revolution in
Cuba, the Formosa Resolution, a military intervention in Lebanon, the U-2
incident, two major civil-rights acts, Brown vs. Board of Education, Little Rock, the further rise and
chaotic fall of Joseph McCarthy, and the addition of two new states.

He concludes with the salient point:

The
Eisenhower years were in fact crisis after crisis after crisis, and Eisenhower
is the great illustration that great leadership often is leadership that nobody
notices. It didn’t feel like
the nation was in a constant state of crisis.

When someone is really in charge he does not have to pretend
to be in charge. He does not have to mime being in charge. When he is charge no
one notices.